Repair & Maintenance

Repair, Reuse, Recycle

It takes one patch and five minutes for a single tube to last a lifetime.

lou mazzante

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EVERY YEAR CYCLISTS toss millions of failed tubes into the trash. At $5 a pop, that's a lot of hard-earned cash down the drain. It also stings the environment.

Fortunately, some innovative companies are turning rubber into riches, and a small percentage of bike shops offer recycling programs that will accept your tattered tubes and worn tires (see sidebar at right and "Upcycle it," below). But before you succumb to a minor snakebite, break out your trusty old patch kit. Like riding a bike, the lost art of patching a hole should come back to you with little effort. If not, here's a three-step refresher guide.

Prep Unless you have no choice, wait until you get home to patch your tube on a clean, smooth surface. Lay the tube flat and use the sandpaper or metal scraper from your kit to buff the surface around the puncture until the shine is gone.

Glue Place a pea-sized drop of rubber cement over the hole and use a clean finger to spread it into a thin, even coat slightly larger than the size of the patch. (Some kits, like Park's GP-2, use adhesive patches. If you have one of these, skip this step.)

Wait Let the cement dry (about two minutes), peel off the backing of the vulcanized patch, and firmly press the patch onto the tube. (Be careful not to touch the tube side of the patch.) Wait about 10 minutes then inflate your tube to make sure it holds air.